OK, I figured out a decent setup today. It's a start in the right direction. I went to Lowe's looking for a magnet. I wanted something substantial without being large. I did not find that.

I did, however, find a cheap magnet for picking up nails and screws. It was $15 and came with an aluminum extension handle. The length seemed perfect for the footrest of the hack. It turned out to be perfect.

I removed the handle and attached a small lead using the bolt for the handle to secure it.

Then I simply attached it to the footrest. It takes about 20 pounds of force to remove it.

Then I put him in his step -in harness. I connect the lead to the harness with a load-bearing S-hook. These aren't as strong as carabiners, but I didn't have any small carabiners around. I did have these, and I've hung 100lb rucksacks from them before, so I know they'll hold.

Now, I figure twenty pounds will give him enough resistance to recover if he starts to fall out of the sidecar. I hooked him up and tried to coax him out. He had to give it a really tough jolt to get it to release, and then it just reattached elsewhere. Remember, I don't want him to fall out, but I do want him to get ejected in the case of a bad accident. I may well replace the magnet with something smaller and stronger if I find one, but I think this might actually work well for now.

OK, I figured out a decent setup today. It's a start in the right direction. I went to Lowe's looking for a magnet. I wanted something substantial without being large. I did not find that.

I did, however, find a cheap magnet for picking up nails and screws. It was $15 and came with an aluminum extension handle. The length seemed perfect for the footrest of the hack. It turned out to be perfect.

I removed the handle and attached a small lead using the bolt for the handle to secure it.

Then I simply attached it to the footrest. It takes about 20 pounds of force to remove it.

Then I put him in his step -in harness. I connect the lead to the harness with a load-bearing S-hook. These aren't as strong as carabiners, but I didn't have any small carabiners around. I did have these, and I've hung 100lb rucksacks from them before, so I know they'll hold.

Now, I figure twenty pounds will give him enough resistance to recover if he starts to fall out of the sidecar. I hooked him up and tried to coax him out. He had to give it a really tough jolt to get it to release, and then it just reattached elsewhere. Remember, I don't want him to fall out, but I do want him to get ejected in the case of a bad accident. I may well replace the magnet with something smaller and stronger if I find one, but I think this might actually work well for now.

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So you have a minor prang......... The dog flies out with the magnet............... It catches a passing truck............. And the dog goes interstate.........
Sorry could not help that one.
Cheers

I'm really torn on this one, and I think in the end all of us are making educated guesses on what is best for our dogs. I remember a relatively minor accident several years ago in which the back hatch of a lady's SUV was sprung on impact and her four goldens bailed out in panic...right into Interstate traffic. All four were hit and killed.

That's my personal nightmare scenario, and personally I think if Barley survived an impact I'd rather he stayed with the wreck until I or a good samaritan could reach him.

He's also a hunting dog. Every time a rabbit or squirrel crosses the road in front of us he lunges, then turns to me with that imploring look, "Shoot it, Dad! SHOOT IT!"

I'm really torn on this one, and I think in the end all of us are making educated guesses on what is best for our dogs.

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I think you nailed it. Different breeds will require different setups. Giant Schnauzers are a little different than their smaller counterparts. They tend to be extremely family centric and protective. Keeping a Giant socialized is a must.

When Bryson gets scared or nervous, his gut reaction is to come directly to us and protect. The scarier the situation, the closer he gets. It's a really nice trait to have and one of the things that attracted us to the breed. Thus, I'm not really worried about him bolting in the event of an accident. He'll probably just run straight to me to check up.

The other breed on our short list was a Irish Wolfhound. I love those dogs, and their temperment is amazing. But imagine having a sighthound in a sidecar. Yeah, if we had one of those, he'd be bolted in!

Hah! Barley is exactly the opposite. When he's startled or frightened he runs to us...and hides behind us! Part of that is the way I trained him. Because we travel thousands of miles from home I wanted him to run to me, rather than away, if the crap ever hit the fan. I've been so successful at that that I can't leave him alone (like paying for gas inside, or ducking into a grocery store to pick up some munchies) without him trying to follow.

This came to a head last summer when I really needed to pee in Malone NY, and the gas station's restrooms were INSIDE the convenience store. Because they served food, dogs were not allowed inside. I didn't dare leave him unattended on a busy street, so ended up stuffing my 75# golden retriever into a backpack and wearing him into the store as I snuck past the clerk!

The other breed on our short list was a Irish Wolfhound. I love those dogs, and their temperment is amazing. But imagine having a sighthound in a sidecar. Yeah, if we had one of those, he'd be bolted in!

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IW in a Ural tub? Does the line from Jaws come to mind?
"I think we need a bigger boat"

I'm not sure about the magnet, might be good for my 14 lb terrier. Drill and mount an eyebolt in the floor, use it or not it's there. A dog the size of a standard Snauz you might take the seat bottom off. I just use a strap around the back of the seat carabener and harness.

We do take the seat out for him. I just took him for a bit of a ride and he scared the bejesus out of me. He stood up twice. That is not cool in my book. A slippery tub bottom and a tall dog standing spell disaster. More training is a must before we take longer rides.

Hah! Barley is exactly the opposite. When he's startled or frightened he runs to us...and hides behind us! Part of that is the way I trained him. Because we travel thousands of miles from home I wanted him to run to me, rather than away, if the crap ever hit the fan. I've been so successful at that that I can't leave him alone (like paying for gas inside, or ducking into a grocery store to pick up some munchies) without him trying to follow.

This came to a head last summer when I really needed to pee in Malone NY, and the gas station's restrooms were INSIDE the convenience store. Because they served food, dogs were not allowed inside. I didn't dare leave him unattended on a busy street, so ended up stuffing my 75# golden retriever into a backpack and wearing him into the store as I snuck past the clerk!

Must work on the behavioral modification thing this year...

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Oh Sh*t the emoticoms don't cover this kind of entertainment. I'm having so much fun reading this thread

I keep trying to post a usefull contribution. Then I come accross another belly bussing moment.

We do take the seat out for him. I just took him for a bit of a ride and he scared the bejesus out of me. He stood up twice. That is not cool in my book. A slippery tub bottom and a tall dog standing spell disaster. More training is a must before we take longer rides.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

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Sounds like you need a carpet of some sort of non slip matt. One of those padded dog mats maybe?

My primary concern with our Whippet is that she is comfortable in the hack. So a nice padded floor for her to lay on is a must. Then I think of security. She is my other halfs dog, but my other half wants to ride her own bike. This means there is a risk that the dog will try to join her when we stop. Not good.

I rigged up a leash that prevents her from leaving the hack but gives her enough to allow her to sit up when she wants to and to get down under cover out of the wind.

I don't think having a brake-away link is a particularly good idea. I'm deffinately of the oppinion that the dog is better off staying with the hack. If she gets thrown out and ends up badly injured, I want to be able to get to her asap. Not have to go hunting around in the bushes trying to find where she's been thrown by the impact. Or worse still, to wake up in hospital only to be told they didn't know to look for our dog.

Of course this is worse case senario. But the dog stays with me, whatever happens. Just like a child!